4 ms·

It's probably because he doesn't understand that something that works only once in a lifetime, or even only once in a few generations, can actually be a very de

It's probably because he doesn't understand that something that works only once in a lifetime, or even only once in a few generations, can actually be a very desirable trait from evolution/survival point of view. We (and all lifeforms really) are full of such traits, they're a burden 99% of the years and a blessing in that cursed 1% slice. Not that it's necessarily fun to have those traits (Selfish Gene etc.), but calling them "irrational" is often plain wrong. If you fail to explain something that doesn't mean it's not useful (or "irrational"), it might be your "rationality" that's too limited.

wyager 5y ago
AKA the “midwit effect”, close antagonistic relationship with “chesterton’s fence”.
azangru 5y ago
What's the something that works only once in a lifetime in this sentence? Sense of imminent doom?
- nostromo 5y ago
  As an example: anxiety about impending winter was a very desirable evolutionary trait for northern populations. Every year you realized that if you didn't have enough food for winter you and your family might starve. Obsessing over all the things that could go wrong helped you survive -- planning for things like failed crops, losing livestock, early or late freezes. The "chill" people without that intense pessimism about the future often did starve and we're not descended from them. But in modern life, the intensity of anxiety about an uncertain future is misplaced. It's a good trait to have still -- yes -- but it shouldn't be taking over your mind.
- kipchak 5y ago
  The US Civil War was much longer/bloodier than expected by both sides, and as late as 1861 was not seen as inevitable, even after succession began. I can't find a particularly great example of this other than Lincoln's March 4thinaugural address. A Virginian for example of a more anxious disposition might have packed up and headed west after the succession process began in December of 1860-February 1861 but before the war began in April of 1861. https://millercenter.org/president/lincoln/domestic-affairs https://millercenter.org/president/lincoln/domestic-affairs

wyager 5y ago

AKA the “midwit effect”, close antagonistic relationship with “chesterton’s fence”.

azangru 5y ago

What's the something that works only once in a lifetime in this sentence? Sense of imminent doom?

nostromo 5y ago
As an example: anxiety about impending winter was a very desirable evolutionary trait for northern populations. Every year you realized that if you didn't have enough food for winter you and your family might starve. Obsessing over all the things that could go wrong helped you survive -- planning for things like failed crops, losing livestock, early or late freezes. The "chill" people without that intense pessimism about the future often did starve and we're not descended from them. But in modern life, the intensity of anxiety about an uncertain future is misplaced. It's a good trait to have still -- yes -- but it shouldn't be taking over your mind.
kipchak 5y ago
The US Civil War was much longer/bloodier than expected by both sides, and as late as 1861 was not seen as inevitable, even after succession began. I can't find a particularly great example of this other than Lincoln's March 4thinaugural address. A Virginian for example of a more anxious disposition might have packed up and headed west after the succession process began in December of 1860-February 1861 but before the war began in April of 1861. https://millercenter.org/president/lincoln/domestic-affairs https://millercenter.org/president/lincoln/domestic-affairs